Monday, August 13, 2012

WE LOVE YOU VICTOR

The MVP Newsletter: A Memorial of Expression Blend MVP Victor Gaudioso
by MVP Lead Dora Chan

Expression Blend MVP Victor Gaudioso was an energetic, enthusiastic developer and designer known for his tireless hard work, devotion to teaching both developers and designers to work together and a great passion for the community.

Victor died on Monday, April 2nd in Northridge, California. Victor is survived by his wife, Shay, and his three kids, Brianna, Tristan, and Luke.

Victor co-founded and ran the first Los Angeles Silverlight User Group (LASLUG) in 2009, which was created so that interaction designers and developers could come together to learn about Silverlight, the Expression Suite and creating rich Internet applications. Under Victor’s leadership, LASLUG has grown bigger everyday with more sponsors and more attendees.

LASLUG broke the User Group record in many ways. It has 344 members, it was the first User Group to live stream their meetings worldwide and it was the first User Group to have their own LA talk radio segment “The Silverlight Corner”.

Everyone in the community remembers Victor for his dedication, high-energy and generosity in sharing his knowledge with any developer/designer he came in touch with.

Below are some statements from some of the people closest to Victor:

“Victor personally helped dozens of people who contacted him requesting help with their WPF and Silverlight projects. He always had an incredible enthusiasm to emphasize with and help others.” - Michael Washington, Silverlight MVP.

“If you met Victor, you’d never forget him. He was known for being the most enthusiastic Silverlight supporter out there. He was ALWAYS jazzed.” – Scott Hanselman, Principal Program Manager, Microsoft.

Expression Blend MVP Teresa Burger remembers Victor for the love he had for others and always wanting to help. “Victor’s light was in teaching others. He was a constant mentor, always encouraging others. If you were afraid to do anything and needed a cheerleading squad Victor was there.”

“….he was absolutely high-energy, pumped up, and full of zeal for the technology. He was continually laughing, and making those around him laugh as well.” – Dave Campbell, Silverlight MVP.

For having had worked on things from the Silverlight 1 Launch and various other projects, pulling all-nighters, going to conferences, reviewing books, etc. together, Silverlight MVP David Kelley and Victor became friends. David, along with many good friends of Victor, mourn the loss of someone that brought so much energy to what he did. “Even when everyone on a project was depressed and worn out, Victor kept our spirits up and kept us going. He was always ready for a good party,” said David.

“I remember him as one of the most enthusiastic passionate evangelists for Silverlight around - he pushed forward and tried to share as much knowledge as he could in spite of any obstacles.” – Jeremy Likness, Silverlight MVP.

“...he was energetic and passionate; he just filled the room with excitement in seconds. You could observe the same excitement during his video tutorials, blog posts, tweets and whenever he interacted with the developer community.” – Cigdem Patlak, Silverlight MVP

“Victor was one of those people who always gave to people – he really cared. He always would be the first to step up and be there for anyone for any reason. He was a true friend,” said Kim Schmidt, who helps Victor run the LASLUG, and has been friends with Victor for years. Kim remembers him for his devotion to teaching developers and designers to work together, which truly inspired many designers to move from Flash to Expression Blend and love it. “His energy was contagious and his enthusiasm for the Microsoft technologies he would talk about kept people wanting more…and he always came through with more.”

Immediately following the Church ceremony, everyone will drive over to the Oakwood Memorial Park Cemetery in Chatsworth for a 1pm burial ceremony.

22601 Lassen St
Chatsworth, CA 91311

LASLUG and the community are also planning other activities for Victor, please follow LASLUG page for details/updates. Included on that page is a link to a memorial fund the family has set up for those who would like to help Victor’s wife and children.

1 comment:

December 30, 1971 - April 2, 2012

Little did we know that morning that God was going to call your name. In life we loved you dearly, in death we do the same. It broke our hearts to lose you, you did not go alone; for part of us went with you the day God called you home. You left us peaceful memories, your love is still our guide, and though we cannot see you, you are always by our side. Our family chain is broken and nothing seems the same, but as God calls us one by one, the chain will link again.